Do You Support the OLF Merger?

In line with the Oromo American Citizen Council’s Conference theme and the ongoing debate among Oromo people, Opride.com’s last poll asked, “What Do The Oromo People Want?”. Over almost a month period, 208 of you voted on the poll. In an overwhelming show of determination, 67.3% of the participants voted for Free Oromia, with only about 22.6% in favor of Autonomous Self-Governing Oromia State within existing Ethiopian Structure. There were also some great comments on the poll including those who denounced Opride.com for advocating Ethiopianism (Opride does not advocate one idea). Some of the commentors have also indicated that an empire state can never be democratized rather can only be dismantled. Ahead of the upcoming poll, the dictatorial regime of Ethiopia have intensified its ethnic cleansing campaign against Oromo people. On March 31st 2010, the three judge panel at Ethiopia’s kangaroo court handed down an unfair verdict to fifteen Oromo nationals under the tramped up charges of supporting the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).

In the last decade, while the Ethiopian regime worked to consolidate power in the hands of Tigrean elites, the OLF went through three major splits. At long last, we are hearing that OLF leaders might finally see to it the need to merge and bring together all Oromos in order to fight against the ardent enemy of our people. While the merger talk is still a hush-hush, there is an ongoing debate about what difference an OLF merger would make. Some argue that its ridicolous to expect a different result by doing the same thing over and again — for example, someone pointed to the failure of ULFO (United Liberation Front for Oromiya) making a case why the merger is a mere declaration.

Many people remain skeptical especially about Change groups decision to merge with their former bosses after publicly decrying them as obstacles to the Oromo struggle. All the while, an overwhelming majority remain highly optimistic that a “United Oromo Liberation Front (UOLF) ” is the only ticket to Free Oromia. Noting the need for Oromo unity and the importance of ending an internal backbiting, alot of people have sent me offline messages asking me to wait and hear the reasons for change in mind from the leaders themselves. So we wait…

Cast Your Vote here and tell us under comments why you voted the way you did.